Macomb store owner fighting IRS over seized cash to get court hearing

6:01 PM,
Nov. 8, 2013

The IRS claims that Terry Dehko, shown on Sept. 25, 2013, and his daughter Sandy Thomas skirted rules requiring bank deposits of greater than $10,000 be reported to the agency by making many smaller deposits.

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The federal government has been ordered to make witnesses available to testify in the case of a Fraser grocery store owner, who is fighting to get the Internal Revenue Service to return more than $35,650 it seized from the store's bank account.

In an order issued Thursday, U.S. District Court Judge Terrence Berg also set an evidentiary hearing for 1:30 p.m. on Dec. 4 in federal court in Flint.

The case, which involves money the IRS seized from the bank account of Schott's Market in January, has brought national attention to the practice of civil forfeiture, where the government can seize ...